Locking valve for controlling fuel gas



May 11, 1954 D. E. BLACKFORD 2,678,186

LOCKING VALVE FOR CONTROLLING FUEL GAS Filed NOV. 28, 1952 INVENTOR.DOA/4L0 f. fiLAC/(FOQD ATTOENCYS.

Patented May 11, 1954 LOCKIN G VALVE FOR CONTROLLING FUEL GAS Donald E.Blackford, Plymouth, Mich, assignor to Lincoln Brass Works, Inc.,Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application November 28, 1952,Serial No. 323,034

3 Claims. (01. 251-105) This invention relates to a valve for thecontrol of the flow of gas to a gas burner and it has to do particularlywith a valve especially useful with certain types of heating apparatus.

,In some gas heaters, it is desirable to have the gas supplied theretoat relatively infrequent intervals For example, with some types ofsocalled floor heaters which are often used in relatively mild climates,the supply of gas to the burner and the cutting off of the supply of gasto the burner may, in some instances, be seasonal. Other heaters may bedisposed in quite an accessible position and the operation thereof maybe at relatively infrequent intervals, or maybe the heater is installedin a place where the valvemay be operated by different persons from timeto time. An object of the invention is to provide a valve constructionwhich is effectively locked when it is in ofi position to thereby assurethat it is not accidently turned to on position during any long periodwhen it is supposed tobe inoif position and so that dilferent personsmay notaccidently brush against or turn the valve to on position. Inthis connection, a simple, effective, strong locking arrangement isprovided which requires actually two operations or two differentmovements to unlock the valve and to manipulate it to its on position.The simplicity of the structure minimizes the number of small parts thusfacilitating manufacture and at the same time, providing a lockingconstruction which has little or no tendency to get out of order or tootherwise become defective in operation.

A valve constructed in accordance with the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the valve showing some of the lockingfeatures.

Fig. 2 is an ensmalled sectiona1 view taken substantially on line 2-2 ofFig. 1 showing the valve in 01f position.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2 showingthe valve in off position.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view illustrating the handle shifted to onposition.

The valve structure, itself, may be relatively simple comprising a bodyI formed with a threaded extension 2 having an inlet passage 3 thereinand a threaded extension 4 with an outlet passage 5. Insofar as theinvention is concerned, the inlet and outlet passages may be reversedand the passage 3 need not be angular as illustrated in Fig. 3. The bodyI has a tapered valve chamber therein as shown at 8 and positioned inthis chamber is a tapered valve memher 9 having a 13011119. The valvechamber is open at opposite ends and the valve member has A washer itengages a threaded extension I 2. against the body and the extension [2extends therethrough and has a coil spring [4 positioned around it whichis held in position by one or.

more nuts [5 screw threaded onto the extension. The spring thus reactsagainst the washer which abuts the body and holds the tapered valvemember on its seat.

The valve member also has an extension 20 positioned opposite theextension I 2 and a handle 2 I. The handle, extension 20 and valvemember may be formed of one integral casting as illustrated although theparts might be made separately and assembled. When the valve is in theposition shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it is in oi? position as willplainly be seen in Fig. 3, the port I!) being positioned trans-verse tothe passages 3,

and 5. If the handle 2| is manipulated through about the port I ii isregistered with the passages 3 and 5 and the gas may flow therethrough.

The locking device resides in two upstanding projections o-r lugs on thebody as indicated at 25 and 26, forming between them a locking notch 21.

, into the bore 30, this slot having an end wall 35 and an end wall 36.The slot at one end is formed with a locking notch 31, one side of whichmay be flush with the wall 36.

A locking pin 39 is securely fastened to the plunger 3| to extendlaterally therefrom so that it extends out through the slot 34 and liesin the notch 21. The pin 39 may be press fitted into the plunger 3|. Inmaking the assembly the plunger is first disposed in the chamber 30 andthen the pin 39 is located with its outer end disposed in the notch 21.The pin 39 is securely fastened to the plunger 3|, as by means, forexample, as a press fit.

With this construction, it will be noted that the pin 39 is a stationaryelement in the sense that it has no rotary movement with the valvemember. Its outer end is permanently located in the slot bearingconstituted by the slot 21 and its inner end is permanently located inthe plunger 3!. The spring 32 normally projects the These may be formedintegrallywith the body. The projection 29 of the valve member isprovided with an axial bore or cavity 30..forl

plunger upwardly. In the off position of the valve, the plunger and pinare shifted upwardly and the pin is seated in the locking notch 31. Itsouter end remains in the slot bearing. Thus, the valve member cannot beturned. It is important to point out that the pin 39 acts as a beam inthat both ends of the pin are held in a fixed position and the extension20 acts upon the portion of the pin between its two ends. To open thevalve the plunger 3| is depressed thus lowering the pin 39. The slot 21has sufficient depth for this purpose. The pin moves out of thelockingnotch 31 and into alignment with th slot 34 and the valve may be turneduntil the shoulder 35 strikes the pin which is the full on position.Even though the plunger 3| is slidable and rotatable in the extension20, the inner end of the pin 39 is nevertheless strongly held andsupported in position. Thus any force delivered thereto'by the shoulder35 is resisted as the pin acts as a beam supported at both ends and notas a cantilever, To turn the valve oiT the handle is turned in theopposite direction, the movement being limited when the shoulder 36strikes the pin 33 and the spring projects the plunger and the pinupwardly to seat the pin in the notch 37.

I claim:

1. A locking valve comprising, a valve body having a valve chambertherein, a valve member rotatably seated in the chamber, the valve bodyand valve member having passages arranged to be'brought into and out ofregistry in different rotary positions of the valve member in the valvechamber, the valve member having a portion projecting from the chamberwhich portion has a substantially cylindrical bore therein, asubstantially cylindrical plunger in the bore, the said portion havingan arcuate slot therein connecting into the bore, a locking pinprojecting generally radially through the slot, the inner end of the pinbeing fixed to the plunger, the valve body having a bearing slottherein, the outer end of the pin being disposed in the bearing slot andthereby secured against rotation relative to the.

valve body, the said portion of the valve member having a locking notchcommunicating with the arcuate slot, and a spring acting upon theplunger for holding the locking pin in the locking notch,

4 said plunger being shiftableagainst the spring to remove the pin fromthe locking notch for the turning of the valve.

2. A locking valve comprising, a valve body 7 having a valve chambertherein, a valve member rotatably seated in the chamber, the valve bodyand valve member having passage arranged to be brought into and out ofregistry in different rotary positions of the valve member in the valvechamber, the valve member having a portion projecting from the valvebody, and having an axially extending, substantially cylindrical boretherein, a substantially cylindrical plunger axially shiitable androtatably positioned in the bore, the said portion having a lateral,circumferentially extending slot communicating into the bore, the valvebody having a bearing slot, a locking pin extending generally radiallythrough the lateral slot having its inner end fixed to the plunger andit outer end permanently located in the'bearing slot whereby-it ismounted as a stationary beam relatively to forces acting laterallythereon, the lateral slot having a generally axially extending lockingnotch therein, a spring in the bore acting upon the plunger and seatingthe locking pin in the locking notch, the plunger projecting from thesaid portion of the valve member so that it may be actuated against thespring torelease the locking pin from the locking notch for the turningof the valve member.

' 3. A locking valve of the type defined in claim 2 wherein there is aprojection onthe periphery of the valve body which is radially spacedfrom said projecting portion of the valve member, said projection havinga recess therein constituting said bearing slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES 'VPATVENTS2,111,998 Stuckenholt Mar. 22,1938

